This article is from page 26 of the 2008-04-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 26 JPG
THE men behind some of Ennis’ most enduring landmarks will be re- membered at a special ceremony in Dublin next week.
Labour leaders from the first En- nis guilds in 1701 to the present day will be honoured in Connolly House, Dublin on May I.
The event will be attended by members of the Congress Informa- tion and Opportunity Centre, Ennis, Minster of State Tony Killeen, Presi- dent of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, Declan Kelleher and Vice President of the Teachers Union of Ireland, Don Ryan.
In all six prominent figures from the labour movement in Clare will
be remembered.
SU ilar Deomm AUD eE-DesmmeyeeulssMmO MW ayuloF| (1803-1864); = Michael §Consid- ine (1814-1884); William O’Brien (1881-1884); Michael McNamara (1863-1947); Patrick J McNamara (1890-1967) and Patrick Hogan (1886-1969).
As chairman of the congregated trades of Ennis, Michael Considine organised the erection of the Daniel O’Connell monument in Ennis in 1867 and the Manchester Martyrs Memorial in 1881.
William Smith O’Brien was a founding patron of the Ennis Me- chanics Institute in 1829 beside Springfield house.
That building later became the Clare Unemployment Resource Cen-
tre (1991-1995) and later the Con- eress Information and Opportunity Centre (1995-2008).
The mechanics institute encour- aged scientific and technical educa- tion to advance industry. William Smith O’Brien served as an MP for Ennis from 1826-1831.
William O’Brien was the son of James Connolly, who established the first branch of the ITGWU in Clare at Dromoland in 1918. O’Brien was general secretary of the ITGWU from 1924 to 1946 and organised the United Trades Council in Ennis in 1918.
Michael McNamara was a founder and president of the Ennis and Dis- trict Labourers association in 1910 and after fighting in the second
Boer War, he served on Ennis Urban Council from 1914 to 1920.
His son Patrick J McNamara was the Clare County Secretary of the Irish volounteers and later the na- tional Irish volounteers. He served 31 years on Ennis Urban District Council between 1920 and 1967.
In a long political career Patrick Hogan served variously as an Irish volounteer, Gaelic league activist, Clare county councillor, Dail deputy, Senator and Ceann Comharle of Dail Eireann between (1951-1967). A na- tive of Kilmaley he later moved to Dublin.
As an active ITGWU official he de- fended workers during the construc- tion of Ardnacrusha hydro-electric station and Shannon Airport.